Amanda Knox Verdict: Jailed 'Because She's American,' Says Judge

U.S. student Amanda Knox smiles at the Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Fiumicino October 4, 2011. Amanda Knox, cleared of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher, on Tuesday thanked supporters who believed in her innocence as she prepared to return home to the United States after four years in jail.

President of the Perugia appeals court Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, has offered a rare interview to an Italian newspaper – explaining how the court arrived at their decision to overturn Amanda Knox’s 2009 murder conviction.

Judge Hellmann told La Nazione that the court, comprised of two judges and six jury, followed “their conscience,” ultimately deciding that Knox and her ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were not guilty of murdering of Meredith Kercher, Knox's British roommate.

“This was a difficult case, controversial but we did what was in our conscience,” Hellmann told La Nazione.

He added, “Too much was made out of it. Then there is the political background, many wanted Amanda in prison because she was an American.”

Judge Hellmann did not go into detail regarding why Knox’s nationality played a hand in people wanting her jailed. However he did say that details of the appeals decision would be released within three months of the verdict.

Hellmann was careful to say that the court's decision was based upon evidence and that the truth was created in the trial.

He did suggest, however, that Knox and Sollecito might very well know the "real truth" behind what happened to Meredith Kercher.

Hellmann stated, "They could also be responsible but the proof isn't there."

The prosecution has already vowed to take the case to Italy’s highest court, but will have to wait until Judge Hellmann has released details behind the appeals decision.

Knox, Sollecito, and a third person, Rudy Guede, were all convicted for the murder of 21-year old Meredith Kercher. Kercher was found dead in a pool of blood in the Perugia apartment she shared with Knox. Her throat was slit and she had 47 stab wounds all over her body.

Both the original and appeals case surrounding the murder caused an international media frenzy. Some media agencies have painted Knox as a sex-loving she-devil, while others portrayed her as an innocent American girl that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.